Game apparatus.



C. W. VOELPEL, E. R. & J. M. CONNOR.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1913.

Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

I l IUI y f vimrran sfratrns PATENT oFFioE;

CHARLES W. VOELPEL AND ELMER R. CONNOR, OF PORT RICHMOND, AND JOSEPH M.

' CONNOR. OFANEW YORK. N.v Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 10, 1914.

Application med November 2o, 19.13. seriarNq. 302,041.

To all lwhom t may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES W. VoELrEL and ELMER R. CONNOR, residents of Port Richmond, county of Richmond, in the State of N ew York, and J osErH M. CONNOR, residing at New York city, county and State of New `York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in toys.

The object of our invention is to embody the game of bowling, or nine pins, in a toy, the ball to be cast, and placed in position for casting, automatically, the pins being also set up automatically after having been knocked down.

We will now proceed to describe our invention in detail the novel features of which we will point out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,l forming part hereof wherein- Figure 1 is a side view of our improved toy. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, the ligure, of the bowler being omitted. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view, the section being taken on a line 3 3 in Fig. 4; and Fig. 4

is an enlargedbroken longitudinal sectional view, the section being taken on a line 4-4 in Fig. 3, a position only of the casting element being shown.

As herein illustrated our improvement consists of a box or casing 1, the top surface 2 of which represents a bowling alley having the pins 3 at one end thereof and a figure 4, representing a bowler,y at the other end thereof. The function of the ligure 4 is to cast the ball 5 and by so doing knock down all or some of the pins 3 as in the game of bowling, and for this purpose is provided with a movable arm 6 having a scoop or retainer 7 to receive and holdthe ball until it is cast. The arm 6 is carried bv a rotatable pin 8 surrounded by 'a spring 9. The function of the spring 9 is to throw the arm 6 forward after the'arm has been forcedback, which action places the spring under tension.

-spring 9 under tension.

retainer 7, by means of a scoop or bracket 13, and sets up the pins 3 by means of a pin 14 and a bell-crank lever 15 adjacent there. to, the lever being pivoted at 16 on a suit- Yable bracket. TheV pin 13 also acts to force the arm 6 of the figure 4, back to' place the Each pin 3 has connected thereto a cord 17 which at its lower end is secured to a bracket18. The cords 17 are not taut but are to a slight degree loosely hung. Each cord 17 passes through an opening 19 in the top 2 of the box. 1 and is secured to the bottom of a pin 3. Adjacent each set of cords and the head cord we hang cross-bar 19. Each bar 19 is suspended from a cord 20 and each cord 20 is connected by a tie cord 21. By this means the cross-bar 19 is free to move to and fro. The bars 19 are moved forward by means of the bell-crank lever 15 and connections 22 which connect the said lever at head bar 19. i

At the head of the casing 1, openings 23 are provided, which openings are located adjacent the pins 3. The openings 23 communicate with an inclined return chute 24, which conveys the ball 5 back to a position adjacent' the drum 12 after it has been cast and come in Contact with and knocked down all, or some, of the pins 3. As will be seen in Fig. 3 the end 25 of the chute 24 is lo cated adjacent the drum 12, a sufficient space being left for the passage of the container 13, the said space being less than the diameter of the ball 5. l

To play the game the motor 10 is wound up and caused to rotate the drum 12. The ball 5 may then be thus placed in the chute 24 and allowed to roll down the chute against the periphery of the drum 12. As soon as the container comes around to the ball it will lift it and carry it around and place it in the scoop 7 Fig. 4. About the time that the ball commences to enter the Scoop 7 the pin 14 will contact-with the projection 26 on the scoop 7. A continued movement of the drum will simultaneously place the ball in the scoop and force the arm 6 back placing the spring 9 under tension. As soon as the pin 1,3 clears the projection 26 the arm G will be thrown forward by the spring thereby casting or throwing the ball against the pins 3 knocking all, or some, of them down, asin the regular game. The force of the ball will cause it to pass the pins andglall into the chute or raceway Z4 at which time it will roll back to the end 25 and the operation will repeat. When the pins have been'knockeddown they l remain down until the container 13 again picks up' the ball at which time the pin 14' described. rThe game is scored as the regular game of bowling.

While we prefer the construction herein shown to produce a cheap article, we do not -limit ourselves to such construction, as other elements besides cords might be used.

It will of course be understood that the case l will be rmuch longer in proportion than herein shown.

Having now described our invention what we claim and desire. tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy consisting of a base representing a bowling alley, pins located at one end of said base, a ball casting' device located at the opposite end of said base, a motor,

means actuated bythe motor adapted to automatically place the ball in the casting device, set up the pins, after they have been knocked down,L and to actuate the casting device.

2. A toy consisting of a base representing ha bowling alley, bowling pins located at one end of said base, a ball, a ball casting device at the opposite end of lsaid alley, a rotatable carrier adjacent thereto, a ball retainer carried thereby, a cord extending downwardly from each bowlin pin and anchored at its lower end, means adjacent said cords adapted to pull the same, a lever adapted to actuate said cord pulling means, means carried by said rotatable carrier adapted to actuate said lever, a raceway extending from said pins to said carrier for the passage of the ball from said pins to said carrier and means to operate said carrier to cause the retainer carried thereby to carry the ball from said raceway to said casting device, and means to actuate the castingfdevice.

3. A toy consisting/of a base representing a bowling alley, bowling pins located at one end of said base, va ball, a ball casting device at the opposite end of said alley, a rotatable carrier adjacent thereto, a ball retainer carried thereby, a cord extending downwardly-from each bowling pin and anchored .at its lower end,fm'eans adjacent said cords adapted to pull the same, a lever adapted to actuate said cord pulling means, means carried by said rotatable carrier adapted to actuate said lever, a. raceway extending from said pins to said carrier for the passage of the ball from saidpins to said car` rier, and means to operate said carrier to cause the retainer carried thereby to carry the ball from said raceway to said casting device, and means carried byi the carrier adapted to actuate said casting device.

4. A toy consisting of a base representing a bowling alley, pins located at one end of-said base, a ball, a device to cast the ball vlocated. at the opposite end of said base, and means to automatically place the ball .in the casting device, set up the pins, after they have been knocked down, and to actuate the casting device.

Signed at Port Richmond, N. Y., this 15 vdayfof November, 1913.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL D. SEWEIL, HARRY SEWELL. 

